Unopened cheese shipped in heat
I accidentally left an unopened block of Monterray Jack at my Mom's house (about 4-1/2 hours away) and she shipped it back to me (1-day air, no less) in a box without anything to keep it cool and the temp today is 84 degrees F. It's all soft and floppy now, but not at all sweaty. Would you consider that still edible? I saw a previous question concerning cheese left out in a car overnight, while cool, but this is slightly different circumstances.
Best Answer
If it hasn't sweated and doesn't have any mold spots on it you should be fine to eat it. Putting it in the fridge for a bit should firm it back up to the consistency you're used to.
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Can cheese go bad in the heat?
Cheese will dry out when left in open air, especially in a warmer room, and start to look crusty and crumbly. \u201cAfter eight hours on a cheese board, cheddar will likely not have a lot of bacterial growth, but it won't look appealing to eat,\u201d Brock explains.Does unopened packaged cheese need to be refrigerated?
Soft cheeses such as cream cheese, cottage cheese, shredded cheeses, and goat cheese must be refrigerated for safety. As a general rule, hard cheeses such as cheddar, processed cheeses (American), and both block and grated Parmesan do not require refrigeration for safety, but they will last longer if kept refrigerated.How long can hard cheese unrefrigerated?
Hard cheeses like cheddar and Parmesan, can sit out longer \u2014up to 8 hours at room temperature\u2014 due to their lower moisture content. That said, your cheese may start to dry out and otherwise go downhill in appearance after four or five hours of sitting out at room temperature.Does unopened cheese go bad?
Is an unopened chunk of cheddar cheese still safe after the "sell by" date or "best by date" on the package? Yes -the unopened cheddar cheese will typically remain safe to use for about 6 months, even if the "sell-by" or "best by" date on the package expires.WHAT I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT SHIPPING PERISHABLE FOOD | DO'S AND DON'TS | HACKS | PACKAGING
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